


Mistletoe is Overrated

by thedarkestdaisy



Category: Revolution (TV)
Genre: F/M, Merry Fictmas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-03 15:07:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2855225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkestdaisy/pseuds/thedarkestdaisy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I shouldn’t need Mistletoe to kiss you the way I want to.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. That Yearning Burning Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Fictmas! Yeah, I just made that up. You guys are all so awesome that I decided to make you a two-chapter gift. Everyone could use a little more Charloe right? Hope you guys enjoy it and have a spectacular holiday!

Charlie is standing at the counter next to her mother snapping green beans and throwing them in the colander. It is methodical enough that she doesn’t really have to pay attention to what she’s doing and her mind starts to wander. She thinks of her Uncle and his best friend driving up from Chicago. Her mother, who somehow managed to stop preparing dinner and speak with her for a moment, told her that the two men would be getting in to town in just an hour. 

Her hand hits the bottom of the pot and she’s out of green beans to break apart. A new Christmas song comes on the radio and her mother starts to sing along as Charlie puts the greens beans under hot water and shakes the colander to sieve out anything that might have been lingering on the vegetables. She puts them into a giant pot filled with water on the stove and turns up the heat.

“Sweet Jesus, I was done with Christmas music the day they started playing it on the radio after Thanksgiving,” Danny bemoans as he go to the wax covered kitchen table to pluck up a handful of chocolate covered peanuts. 

“Danny! You’re going to spoil your dinner.” Her mother yells at him, suddenly knocked out of her “Winter Wonderland” reverie.

Danny’s hair comes down to his ears and Charlie can’t help but think he needs to get it cut. He has explained to her more than enough times that the girls like it like that. Gives them something to run their fingers through, he said once with a smirk. She’ll admit it; the young man has girls falling over him left and right. He’s learned how to charm them and sweet talk his way into and out of anything. This counts especially for his own mother. Charlie watches as he puts his handsomest grin into action for their mom.

“I highly doubt that. Your cooking is one of my most favorite things in the world. Besides I’m a growing boy; I’ll eat anything you put in front of me.”

“And lick the plate too,” Charlie adds playfully with a hint of disgust.

Danny rolls his eyes at her.

“Just go make sure the table is set and the guest bedroom is ready. Oh! And make sure I set out some sheets and blankets by the couch. I can’t remember if I took them out of the dryer or not.”

“Of course.” He gives Charlie a look that says he’ll be doing none of these things but will instead go back upstairs to play video games on his Xbox. He kisses his mother on the cheek before turning out of the kitchen and, of course, going back upstairs to his room.

What the fuck, Charlie thinks perturbed. She doesn't understand how he always gets away without doing any work! She takes the knot out of the apron and uncovers her new red sweetheart dress she bought for absolutely no reason at all (yeah, right). It’s a bit fancy, with see-through sleeves and neckline, it goes down to her knees and she decided to pair it with black tights and black boots. She tried the sexy fuck-me pumps once. She couldn’t understand how people could balance, much less walk in the painful monstrosities. Mom didn’t say anything about her state of dress only that she looked lovely and it was wonderful to see her out of jeans, sweatpants, and scrubs. Actually she thinks she owns more scrubs than she does street clothes at this point.

“Who are you trying to impress?” Danny asked her knowingly earlier that morning. When she looked down out her dress insecurely he quickly put his hands on her shoulders and made her look up at him. “No, don’t change. You look hot and he’ll definitely notice,” he quickly added.

Her dad, Ben, walks into the kitchen and starts putting the seasoned bacon in the green beans. 

“Thanks for taking care of this while I took that call,” he says before planting a kiss on her forehead. “Miles said he’ll be pulling up any minute. 

Dad looks absolutely giddy at the fact he’s going to be seeing his little brother and his brother’s bf soon. The phone rings and her mom rushes to it immediately asking for her Dad. Grandpa Gene couldn’t make the trip from Texas this year so they all have to settle for a chance to talk with him on the phone. She takes stock of what’s going on in the kitchen and comes to the conclusion that Mom and Dad have a handle on things in here so she might as well sneak in a quick break before Christmas dinner starts. 

She heads into the living room and comes upon their Christmas tree. She didn’t get to help decorate it this year. Not enough time away from work and she honestly didn’t want to leave her new apartment to put up a tree when she could get a nap in. She notices the large quantity of peppermint candy canes on the limbs of the fake evergreen and knows her mother must have put up extra for her. They are her favorite holiday candies. Charlie slides one off the tree and peers outside the large picture window in front of the couch to the driveway. It’s dark out now and she can see all the lights her neighbors and her father put up. The outside of the their house has pink icicles (chosen by her mother) and nearly a dozen lit-up animatronic deer strewn about the front yard. Two of the candy cane lights running up the edge of the sidewalk are burnt out. There isn’t any snow on the ground which make the scene look a tad bit sad, however the giant inflatable snowman her dad bought last year certainly cheers up the atmosphere. They still aren’t here yet.

She looks around the living room and takes in the decorations just as she did outside. It looks like Yuletide vomit all over the house but this room in particular seem to have taken the brunt of most decorations. Aside from the sloppy Christmas tree in the corner there are twenty-six Santa Clauses decking the mantle of the fireplace. One for every year her mom and dad have been together. When they got married they received a Mr. Clause and a Mrs. Clause in wedding garb standing underneath a porcelain wreath. She use to think it was stupid because Santa has nothing to do with weddings but as the years went on and the mantle became fuller and fuller she learned to appreciate each and every one of them. 

Charlie picks up a ceramic Santa fixed to a little circle platform and twists the bottom. It plays the song “Santa Clause Is Coming to Town”. She gingerly places it back on the mantle and watches it spin around. This is her favorite one. Her parents received this one from Bass while he was backpacking through Germany for his twenty first birthday. It reached them just a few days after she was born. He told her once that it was her Christmas/Birthday present. 

Light against the back wall knocks her from her thoughts and she feels her heart beat kick up. Her eyes flick towards the mistletoe hanging above the bathroom door, in thanks to Danny. Her mother told her to take it down this morning but she had other plans in mind and mom was too busy to notice the suggestive décor hanging above the washroom still. She can hear Danny running down the stairs, surely two at a time, screaming “They’re here!” Her dad comes barreling into the room and throws the front door open to run out to the car parked in the driveway. He pulls Miles out of the driver’s seat and give him the manliest bear hug known to man. Danny and Bass pat eachother’s hand and their own chest three times in a synchronized fashion they picked up from one of their favorite shows. 

Charlie watches as the four of them gather luggage and presents from the backseat of Miles’ car. Miles looks the some as he did ten years ago. In all the time she has spent with him he has never looked any different. Maybe a little tired but for a thirty-four years old man he looked excellently fit. She tries not to look at Bass because she knows the second she gets a good look at him she’ll be caught staring. 

Get a grip girl; she berates herself, as her eyes fly to him when she hears him laugh at something Danny has said. Which is dumb because Danny’s jokes aren’t funny enough to warrant such a deep and sexy laugh from him. She is suddenly unsure of whether the cold temperature wafting in through the screen door is giving her goosebumps or if it’s Bass. When he steps away from the car and starts walking towards her with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder she decides it’s not the weather at all. The leather jacket he’s wearing is the perfect size. She couldn’t help but notice the way his jeans fit his ass and crotch too. It almost makes her feel like a pervert. Almost. He’s wearing the red Chicago Cubs baseball cap she got him for Christmas three years ago. She drops the lock of hair she was unconsciously twirling around her index finger as he makes his way through the candy cane lights and closer to her.

She tries to think of something cool to say when he steps on the porch, anything that will make her seem adult and confident rather than insecure and crazy for him. She doesn’t have to say anything though. When she opens the screen door for the caravan to enter he walks right by her saying, “Merry Christmas, Charlotte.”

Her heart drops as he passes her by with little acknowledgement and she tries not to let it show in her face. Charlie holds her head up when she feels her eyes start to water. Stupid fucking crush! Stupid fucking man! Ugh! 

Miles is the last one to enter and he shuts the door behind him before sweeping her up into his arms. He smells exactly the same and it’s a small comfort to her. She can’t help but smile down at him when she feels her boots leaving the brown carpet

“Jeez kid, are you eating anything in that new apartment of yours?” he asks paternally. 

“Ramen noodles, Spaghettios, Pop Tarts, pizza rolls. Any unhealthy thing I can get my hands on,” she grins up at him now. She can’t help it. There is something about Miles, like an internal light that attracts everyone to him. He is the sort of person you want to be happy around. 

“Those were the days. Chef Boyardee is a good friend of mine.” He laughs and looks past her.

When she turns around Bass is watching them expectantly. 

“Well? Where’s my hug?” 

The distance between them feels like a bomb. The closer she walks to him the more worried she is that something is going to explode. Charlie wonders what he would do if she told him that she once had this dream where she went down on him and it made her so sexually frustrated she went on the internet and looked up deep-throating and masturbated for nearly two hours. She feels dirty when she steps into his embrace.

Bass has always been an excellent hugger. He wraps his long arms around you and holds you there for nearly a full minute. When she was younger she thought it was a bit strange. Growing up she’s come to the conclusion that it is something he takes seriously. If you don’t hug him or say good-bye it drives him nuts. Not funny Ha Ha nuts, more like do you need anxiety meds? nuts. Charlie thinks this is the result of losing his all of his family before getting the chance to tell them that he loved them, or have a decent good-bye with them at the very least. 

His belt buckle digs into her tummy and the hard lines of his abs and pecks against her waist and breasts makes her want to roll her hips against him. As he’s leaning over his beard and moustache tickle her neck and shoulder making her squirm. His stomach expands with a quick inhale of air and she knows he’s laughing at her for all her fidgeting underneath him. He smells like leather and Mile’s car and his aftershave. It makes her grip on the back of his jacket tighten. Before he pulls completely away from her he presses his lips to the crown of her head. She can feel and hear him breathe in deeply before completely stepping back. Bass’ eyes take in the dress appreciatively. He might as well be stroking her through her tights with as wet as that look is making her.

“Nice dress,” He says taking off his ball cap. He runs his fingers through the curls atop his head and Charlie instantly realizes the weight of Danny’s words. She wants to run her fingers through his hair too.

“Thanks.”

Her Mom comes into the room all smiles and she immediately feels like a bucket of freezing cold water has been poured upon her. Bass hugs her mother tightly and kisses her on the cheek before asking if there is anything he can help with in the kitchen

“Nope. Everything is all ready and I just set the table,” she slides a pointed look to her son catching up with Miles on the couch. Danny looks up and finds her gaze. His response is to shrug his shoulders. 

“I’m so hungry! I can smell the ham all the way in here! Can’t wait to dig in, Rachel.” Miles winks at her mother who in turn starts to beam at him. 

“We’ve been driving nonstop for hours,” Bass says as he shrugs off his jacket to reveal only the sexiest navy flannel shirt. “If I don’t use the restroom now I’m going to be sorry later.”

He turns into the bathroom off to the left of the room and she tries to not to let her eyes flicker to the mistletoe above the door. She goes to stand by the door as soon as he closes it in the guise of washing her hands before dinner. None of the adults in the room notice her little scheme. 

“Obvious,” Danny mouths to her with a roll of his eyes. He was walking to the kitchen but stopped and decided to wait and see how her plan played out.

Miles is talking to her mom and dad about how he and Bass are going to decide which one of them gets the bed in the spare bedroom down in the basement and who gets stuck on the couch. They don’t really pay attention to Bass when the bathroom door opens and he makes it just far enough under the threshold for Danny to suddenly yell out and make everyone turn to look at Charlie and Bass.

“Mistletoe! Mistletoe! You have to kiss her!”

Charlie has decided Danny makes an excellent wing-man.

The panic stricken look on his face as he peeks up at the plant makes her feel a little guilty, but not enough to actually stop her crazy plan. his eyes shoots to everyone around the room waiting for a response.

“It’s just a little peck right? No big deal?” she flashes him a questioning grin. His attention shifts back down to her and for the tiniest moment his dark blue eyes sparkle and turn into curious little slits. 

“On the cheek.” He says so quietly she doesn’t think anyone else in the room can hear him. She nods slowly. Bass looks past her to her family and shrugs his shoulders in a sign of defeat. He turns to square off with her and she can’t help but smile when he steps in closer. Every night of dreaming about him and every single day wondering what it would be like to touch him has finally payed off. Charlie is so anxious she can feel her bones hum under her skin.

He closes the distance between them and slides his big hands up her neck to gently hold her head in place. Charlie stands on the tips of her toes and leans upon him when he tilts her head up to place the smallest kiss he could ever give on her brow line. He whispers something incoherent to her and tilts her head to the side. When presses his lips to the side of her face she can’t help but smile wider when they touch the corner of her mouth. She wants to push him into the couch when she feels his tongue slip out of his lips and lick the corner of her mouth.

From the way he angled their bodies she is sure nobody saw that. Bass steps back and looks down at her with a wicked grin on his face. It was hardly anything but it felt like everything and it takes her breath away.

“Wash up so we can eat dinner,” he says and then turns away from her completely unaffected. 

She can hear Danny give her a wolf whistle and a slow clap before making his way into the dining room. 

“Try not to mack on the children, Bass,” Miles says good-naturedly. Charlie rolls her eyes and shuts the bathroom door behind her. 

She isn’t a child! She’s twenty-three with her own job and apartment and bills! It makes her want to throw things. However the urge to smile to herself wins out. She bites down on her knuckle to stifle the sound of glee threatening to bubble from her throat. 

Charlie stays in the bathroom for as long as it takes to get a control on her emotions. Every time she catches sight of herself in the mirror she rolls her eyes. The girl in the mirror looks crazy in love. She pushes everything down and takes a deep breath before opening the door and meeting up with everyone in the dinning room.

“Over here,” Danny pulls back the chair beside him. It’s across from Bass. That’s perfectly fine. She’s been thinking about him for the past three years non-stop. Time to make him feel some yearning on his end too.


	2. Kissing Imprints

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-beta'd as usual.

Before anyone can touch the dishes set out before them on the table Dad stands up and begins to say grace. It is familiar and touches her heart because she no longer does this herself, which make her feel kind of bad. While everyone is looking down she peeks her head up to look across the table at Bass.

Her father’s words go completely above her head when she realizes Bass isn’t participating but instead looking straight at her. A grin spreads on his lips and his shoulders give a little shake as he silently laughs at her. Is this him flirting with her? Bass puts his head down and says amen before he can see the question on her face. 

She has to physically restrain herself from going over to sit on his lap. And kiss around his beard. And run her hands through his hair. And unbutton his stupid flannel shirt that matches his eyes. And whisper all the fantasies she’s been having about him. And tell him how she touched herself when they talked on the phone for three hours after he called to just wish her a Happy Birthday. And tell him her phone is filled with songs by The Magnetic Fields and REO Speedwagon because he mentioned he liked a few of their songs. 

Everyone is passing around slices of ham, scalloped potatoes, rolls, and green beans. She unceremoniously dumps one after another one her plate when she comes to the conclusion she just wants to spend some time alone with Bass instead of sharing him with everyone in her family. They don’t even have to talk to each other, so as long as she can openly look at him the way she wants to.

She is torn from her thoughts when Miles repeats his question asking her how she was doing working in the veteran’s home. She hesitates and pulls her thoughts together.

“It’s going okay. We just had someone pass; I was told that he’s been there for fourteen years and it was just his time to go. He was always really nice to me when ever we spoke so it’s kind of hard passing his room in the hallway and seeing an empty bed. It’ll probably only get worse in a few months.” She pushes the food around on her plate. Work has been super depressing lately and she thought she might be able to escape it tonight.

Miles nods his head in understanding but Danny asks what she means. 

“When someone dies in places similar to nursing homes there is a stigma that there will be more to follow because they pass in groups. The saying is that they always go in threes. It usually holds true and I can kind of guess who might be going next. One of my own residents went on hospice recently- I don’t know if he’ll be alive by the time I come back from vacation.” He was a man kind man full of knock knock jokes who had been a sergeant major in Korea. Unfortunately no one can foresee when a stroke is coming so it took her by surprise when he stopped smiling and started to stare into nothing 

Dear God, she thinks to herself, this is dark talk for Christmas dinner. Her chest feels heavy with sorrow. Since she started working there a year ago seven people have died. From old age, cancer, pneumonia, a bad case of the flue, a fall they couldn’t recover from. Charlie was beginning to worry that she cares too much for the people in her charge because every time someone passed she feels a little more emptier inside.

“I bet you take excellent care of your residents, Charlotte,” Bass adds to her thoughts, trying to lighten the mood.

“Shit, Charlie. Way to bring me down,” Danny reaches over his plate and takes the glass of moscato d’asti she poured for herself earlier.

“Danny! Language.” Miles and Bass snicker when Rachel scolds him as Ben takes the wine glass away from him and hands it to Miles so that it can be given back to Charlie. Miles gives the cup to Bass and before he gives it to Charlie he asks,

“Is this that Cupcake stuff I saw in the kitchen?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty good.” Danny answers for her. Their mom shoots another look of disapproval at Danny before sternly reminding him that eighteen years olds don’t drink alcohol because it illegal, remember?

Bass studies the glass and finds the prints of Charlie’s lips. There is a pink tinted impression of her bottom lip from the chapstick she put on while she was in the bathroom. He looks directly at her when he takes the glass and puts his lips over the impression of hers to take a drink. She feels her face heat up and is sure that whatever butterflies he gave her has now combusted like explosions from heavy testosterone produced action movies. 

Was'nt she suppose to make him pine for her?! He totally just took the upperhand from her before she even got a chance to play it.

“Wow, I could probably drink bottles of that stuff,” he laughs. It’s not the hard stuff he’s use to but Charlie knows he’ll try anything at least once.

“Me too,” Danny jokes for the last time. He puts his head down and laughs quietly as his mother scowls at him from the other end of the table.

When he gives the glass back to her she grabs it from the stem, knowing she’d be in all sorts of trouble if she brushes her fingers across his at the top of the glass. She takes a large gulp from the glass and stands up to help mom clear off the table and bring in the two pies she made earlier in the morning.

They place the stack of dishes in the sink and her mother thanks Miles and Danny as they bring in the leftovers. Miles goes to the sink and starts rinsing plates. Danny pulls out the “everything” drawer and starts rummaging through it, hoping to find a pack of Uno cards. Charlie takes a roll of cling wrap from the cabinet and sets upon the task of covering up the dishes while her mother slices the apple and lemon meringue pies into perfect little pieces. 

“So is there something going on that I should know about?” Rachel says aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet Rachel is about to start some shit... but I always wondered what Ben would do


	3. Uno and Cojones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie flirts and it might end up back-firing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-Beta'd. But filled with sunshine and rainbows and fruit punch filled with stars! Plus a spritz of sexual tension, because I feel like that would smell citrus-y

Danny and Miles immediately stop what they are doing and look at each other and then between Charlie and Rachel. They come to a silent agreement that they want no part of the argument sure to come about from the two ladies.

“Five years of pent up sexual frustration and three years of waiting to make a move?” Charlie says as a borderline joke slash serious answer.

“I don’t think I’m supposed to be listening to this conversation,” Danny says aloud as Miles pulls him out of the kitchen.

The scowl on her mother’s face is firm and steadily trained upon her. Charlie lets out a sigh, totally not ready to have this conversation. She turns to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of moscato. She roots around in a drawer for a wine opener waiting for her mother to begin. She already has a pleasant buzz going but thinks it might be a good idea to be even more pleasantly buzzed for this talk.

“Bass is a good man,” her mother begins. It isn’t what she thinks her mother would start with. She pours a rather large amount in her glass. “But he isn’t the right kind of man for you. He isn’t going to settle down with you and have a bunch of children. He isn’t that kind of person.”

Charlie recalls a conversation on the phone between her and Bass a few months ago. He told her he would have liked to have a bunch of little girls. He wants to teach them how to shoot a gun and dance with them at their weddings. They weren’t flirting at the time, just telling each other what they thought they would be doing with their lives by now. She doesn’t let her mother know that though. She rolls her eyes and pulls herself to perch on the edge of the counter instead.

“He just isn’t going to give you the kind of thing you need in your life. Right now or ever. And if something bad comes from it you’re both going to feel like idiots when we all have to get together for family dinners and holidays. Chicago is hours away and these long distance things aren’t worth half the trouble people make them out to be anymore.”

“No, he and Miles are relocating the bar. Here in town, to be exact. Miles is working to get a license to start serving food in the bar. Of course Bass will be coming with him. They’re co-owners,” Charlie can’t help the know-it-all tone that comes from her mouth.

“Don’t you think that’s going to take a while? I haven’t heard anything about this move from Miles or your father.”

She wants to bang her head against the back of the cupboard cabinets.

“Three months.” Charlie states.

“Three months, what?”

“Three months until the move. It was going to be a surprise. They have everything packed already and Bass told me last month that they bought out the Cantina Bar and Grill on the Belt.”

The Belt is a strip of highway running through town. It’s host to a bunch of restaurants, depot stores, food chains, shopping outlets and more. It’s probably the most prosperous part of town. When they last spoke on the phone he told her how excited he was to be starting out fresh in a new place again. 

Rachel looks like she’s about to have a coronary as she comes to the realization that her daughter will not back down from this stupid crush. 

“You need to talk to your father about this. I know you aren’t going to listen to anything I say. Like I said; Bass is a good man, but he has his demons too.”

Charlie nods and slides herself off the counter. She takes a stack of dessert plates from the cabinet with one hand and manages to hold both the bottle and her glass with her other hand, firmly clasped between her fingers. As she walks back to the dinning room she thinks about what her father will say. Her thoughts do not stay on the subject for long. Miles has taken her spot next to Danny and they are hunched together over Danny's phone giggling at a Youtube video he once showed her. Something about spiders getting hooked on drugs. Someone has moved her phone across the table in Miles’ old spot and placed it face down.

Charlie seats herself next to Bass just as her mother comes in the room and places the two pies on the table in front of them. Charlie doesn’t miss the pointed look her mother gives her when she notices the new seating arrangement. She rolls her eyes in response.

Bass slides the largest piece of lemon meringue on a fancy blue dessert plate directly in front of her with the smallest smirk. Of course he knows what she likes. He dishes himself and her mother two pieces of pumpkin pie topped with a dollop of whipped cream while Danny shuffles the Uno cards and passes them out accordingly. Eight o’clock can’t come soon enough. She wants everyone to see what she got them for Christmas. Especially Danny.

And Bass. Well, mostly Bass.

“Why is it every time I shuffle I always get the shit cards?” Danny asks rhetorically.

“Danny,” Her mother begins at the other side of the table. “I’m not going to tell you again. Watch your mouth.”

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, mom. Dial doesn’t taste that bad.”

“You’re eighteen. I think you’d have learned by now to just stop cursing in front of people.”

“Well, I guess I’m not the smartest pickle in the patch am I?” Danny throws his cards down on the table and Miles looks at him trying not to laugh.

“Pickle?”

When she looks down at her phone to check the time she instinctively whips her head to the right and looks at Bass. She has a text message from him. What?

Bass: Is there anymore mistletoe hanging around the house that I can get you under?

Ha! He is flirting with her! Suddenly she thinks of all the shameless ways she could flirt back with him. Could she pull it off without getting caught? Yes, mom and dad and are much too competitive to notice anything going on outside of trying to beat each other at Uno. Danny keeps looking at his phone. Miles is the only who would really be a problem but he’s moved to the other side of the table. If she’s discreet enough she could probably pull it off with him none the wiser. Charlie begins to fidget in her chair as a plan comes to formation. Making sure her cellphone is on silent mode she places it face down on her lap. 

“Your turn Charlie,” Bass says from beside her with a grin.

Yes. My turn indeed, she thinks to herself as she places a red reverse card down of his red number two card. She finishes her pie with gusto and takes a long swallow from her glass.

Charlie gathers her cards in a fan in one hand and peruses what she has, ready to place them down on the table at any given time. She puts on arm casually on the back of his chair in the guise of pushing herself forewords as she boastfully tells her mother to draw four. No one has noticed the subtle movement as all eyes are currently on an angry Rachel as she draws four more cards, leaving her with an astounding eighteen.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to win this game,” Charlie laughs at her. Her mother is too pissed to even look at her, which is absolutely perfect. She’s sitting close enough to Bass that nobody can see her arm moving behind him as she runs the tip of her index finger up the middle of Bass’ back. He suddenly sits ramrod straight in his chair. He shoots her a secretive look from the corner of his eye but she looks away before they make contact.

Through out the game she writes the dirtiest single words she knows on his back slowly, unknowing if he can actually make them out or not. Desire. Spank. Lick. Swallow. Thrust. Touch. Tongue. Finger. Sweat. Choke. Scratch. Impale. Suck.

He’s in the middle of playing a wild card when her finger goes all the way down his back and stops just at the top of his pants. He immediately clears his throat and makes for a grab of his phone. 

For some reason she didn’t think there would be a lot of retaliation on his part. Charlie suddenly feels very wrong in her decision to provoke the only man who has ever had enough cojones to slip her the tongue in front of her family. He’s just as shameless as she’s trying to be.

Her phone buzzes in her lap the second he places his own phone back down on the table.

Bass: I’m sure you’re already aware that I’m excellent at nonverbal communication. You think you can write the words Impale and Choke on my back and I won’t have a reaction? I hope you have a spectacular poker face, sweetheart. You’ve got 15 minutes until eight. 

Just as Charlie finishes the last sentence of his text she feels a large warm hand encompassing her knee and sliding underneath the hem of her black dress to rub little circles on her tights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 3/22/15  
> Chapter four is on they way.


	4. Under the Table Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can thank Lemon for this.

The world stops spinning for half a second, her jaw drops and her breath stops somewhere between her chest and her throat. Danny flips a reverse card to the pile and wiggles his eyebrows at her thinking he's got her attention. Danny has never been more wrong in his entire life.

Charlie keeps her eyes trained down on the table and the ever growing pile of Uno cards. Fifteen minutes should be easy enough. It not as if he actually has the gall to-

Oh God, no- this is actually going to be a problem.

She squelches down a squeak of surprise and slams a card down on the the table with a little too much force as she feels his fingernails scrape up against the stretchy fabric of her tights. Everyone stops to look at her as the smack of her hand upon the stack reverberates through out the room.

“Looks like you might win this one,” Danny says with a scrutinizing frown as he takes notice of the few cards she has fanned in her other hand.

“Y-yeah.” The words tremble from her lips as Bass flexes his hand wide and roughly grabs her thigh, prying her legs wide open as he pulls a knee closer to him until it bumps into his. Charlie stares at him mouth agape until she catches him quickly hide a grin behind his hand of cards and snaps her jaw shut with a glare. 

Her mother slaps a card down over her own and gives her father a look across the table speaking volumes of rivalry. Charlie thinks she might be in the clear for a while if all he's going to do is rest his hand on her thigh. This is like a middle school game of hot and cold to her. Fifteen minutes of a warm stationary hand is a cakewalk. If this is all he has planned then she'll be able to through the rest of this card game easily, which looking down at her hand, she realizes she really might win if Danny doesn't lose his shit later on.

“So, how has the bar been doing?” Her father asks them conversationally. Bass winces and a flash of guilt quickly sweeps across his face as Miles smiles at him before launching into all the details about the move and plans for the new bar and grill. Charlie isn't in the right mindset to follow what her dad and uncle are saying as Bass' fingers climb up her leg. She strives to pay attention to the cards quickly adding to the pile in the middle of the table, making sure Bass doesn't think he's getting to her. But it's hard to pay attention to anything when he digs his short nails into the elastic material making his fingers bump and scrape over her leg as he drags them closer to her core.

“Yeah. There's going to be a lot of work to be done but I know we'll be able to power through it. We're expecting to open up this summer.” She hears Bass say beside her as he gently places a draw four card down, making her father glare at him. Charlie takes even breaths as she studies Bass from the corner of her eye. He is leaned back in his chair and smiling openly at whatever argument is taking place between Danny and her mom. There is no clue to tell anyone that his hand is moving in long strokes against her thigh. Every time he gets closer to her center the tighter her fist on the table clenches her phone and she has to restrain herself from reaching down and shoving his hand exactly where she wants it.

A quick glance down at her phone screen tells her she only has seven minutes left before Danny will surely throw his cards down and demand everyone retreat into the living room to open presents. Danny gets fidgety in his chair as the cards keep piling up. She holds back a groan when Bass' hand dips and roughly squeezes the inside of her thigh as she throws down a reverse card and her mother curses as she draws for a card to play. Bass winks at her when she leans back in her chair and forces herself to keep her eyes open instead of closing them and relishing in the attention he gives her. 

She whips out a draw four wild card and shakily announces green. Charlie can hardly manage the cheeky smile she throws her mom when Rachel huffs and stiffly draws more cards. His fingers slowly canvas their way back up the inside of her thigh and she fights not to lean back and spread herself wider. And then he reaches her center and she wonders if he can feel all her heat for him under her tights. When he rubs a small circle over her she knows he does in the way he bites his lip. 

Charlie closes her legs around his hand in an effort to keep him there when Danny throws his cards down and announces the time. Bass quickly slides his hand out and the immediate loss makes her want to bend over and bang her head against the table. She's seconds away from moaning out when his index finger drag a line over her clit when Danny interrupts again with a girlish shrill.

“Presents! It's present time!” Danny giddily screams as he runs into the living room. Miles rolls his eyes and pushes away from the table to follow Ben into the kitchen as Rachel collects the cards and neatly puts them in their package. 

“Looks like you almost won again,” her mother says absent-mindedly as she shoves the stack of cards in the pack.

“Almost.” Bass grins at her. Rachel leaves them to follow the other men into the kitchen and Charlie turns a glare to him when they're finally alone. 

“I can't tell if I want to slap you or climb into your lap right now.”

“I'm a fan of both those ideas.”

“I always knew you were a kinky bastard.”

He laughs and their quiet conversation is interrupted once again by Danny begging everyone to come into the living room so he can start passing presents. “If you don't come in now I'm going to start hording them!”

“I think that's our cue.” Bass pushes back from the table and and holds his elbow out to escort her into the living room. She hops out of her seat to comply and they do a haughty short walk to Danny where he looks up from his chore of divvying up the gifts to roll his eyes.

“Well, that's gross.”

“Your face is gross.” Charlie politely says with a smile to Danny.

“Everyone shut your faces.” Miles says with a groan. “I thought the older you guys got the more entertaining your fights would be. I was holding out for nothing.” 

“Your face is nothing.” The siblings say simultaneously just as their parents walk into the room. Danny instructs everyone where to sit which is useless at this point because everyone sits in the same spots they did previous years before. Rachel and Ben seat themselves on the loveseat closest to the tree as Miles folds himself into the arm chair. Charlie plants herself between Bass and Danny on the couch and surveys her gifts. 

Everyone makes short work of unwrapping and smiles are traded across the room over gifts. Rachel kisses Ben's cheek when she receives a gift card that she refuses to show anyone. Ben winks at his son when he finds a box set of Star Wars in a sack filled with Hershey's kisses. Danny crawls over Charlie to kiss her cheek and pledge his undying brotherly love for her when he rips open an envelop revealing two tickets to an Arctic Monkeys concert next month. Miles air-fives Danny when he tears into a box holding an REO Speedwagon t-shirt and all their greatest hits on vinyl. Miles grins at Bass as he tears into a present. 

“It's a juicer?” Bass asks with confusion as he looks at the box.

“Open it up, asshole.” Miles practically giggles from behind his fist. Bass opens the box and dumps out a packaged waffle maker. 

“Oh, thank god. I love waffles.” Bass rolls his eyes and tears away the styrofoam and tape. 

“Open the waffle maker.” Miles smiles at him. Bass cocks his head at him in curiosity and opens the top slowly. Inside the waffle maker is a minimalist black watch. His face twists in confusion as he looks over to his friends' smirking face.

“How did you even know I wanted this?” Bass asks as he unwraps the watch. 

“You leave too many browser tabs open at the store.” Miles shrugs. “Glad you like it.”

And then Bass turns and hands Charlie two small boxes, thus completing the circle of Secret Santa. “This one first,” he says motioning to the bigger of the two boxes. She unwraps the gift delicately and peers inside with a smile as she finds a ceramic Santa Claus.

“I thought you could re-start the tradition at your own place.” He says as she looks over it with a goofy smile. The little figure is covered in sparkles and has a sack of toys at his feet. In his gloved hands he holds a sparkly vibrant red heart. 

“He's so cute and sparkly.” She gushes as Danny just stares at the gift with a raised brow. 

“You can only use it once a year. Christmas gifts for Christmas is dumb.” Danny says in a critiquing manner before he's got his tickets snatched out of his hand by his sister. “I mean it's so cute and sparkly- I just love it.” She gives him a warning eye and places the tickets back in his lap.

“Which is why she has two gifts, little dick.” Bass says while throwing him a glare. The other box is smaller than her hand and the lid pops off easily. Inside a bed of fake woolly snow and more sparkles lies a shiny key and an address scribbled down on paper underneath. She doesn't take it out- just looks up and smiles at him as he smiles back at her.

“What was it?” Ben asks.

“An engagement ring,” Danny snorts.

“What?” Ben sits up straighter in his chair and Rachel frowns at them.

“Earrings of little cats. I don't want to take them out of the box- I might lose them.” Charlie explains with a shrug. “Thank you for the earrings.” She turns to Bass with a smile ignoring how Danny mutters how well she is at lying.

“You're welcome. Be sure to wear them a lot.” 

“Pretty sure I'll wear them everyday.”

“Okay cool.” Danny says putting an end to their moment. “Mom, Can we watch that stupid movie so I can go upstairs and play video games?”

“It's a Wonderful Life is not a stupid movie, Daniel.” Rachel glares at her son.

"Right. Let's just watch Jimmy Stewart fuck shit up so I can get back to Fallout 4."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It only took what? A year?  
> You guys are pretty awesome.  
> Keep that shit up.

**Author's Note:**

> Completely un-beta'd. As usual. Be on the look out for the last installment in a few days...or later tonight. So excited for the dinner scene!  
> I'm not certain how soon or much you guys want it?


End file.
